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A List Of New Mac Tips For Apple’s Tim Cook

What tops Apple’s target customer list? Without actually seeing the list, I’m going to put my name at the top; mostly because I’m sure I have one or two and probably three of almost everything Apple makes.

Mac, iPhone, iPad, Watch, AirPods, Apple TV, some Beats headphones, Apple Pay and Apple Music, AppleCare, ands [sucks in breath] probably a few of each one. Which Apple kit do I use the most? iPhone is in my pocket. Watch is on my wrist. The Mac’s keyboard is under my fingers.

Tips To Please

The Mac gets used the most and I have a few tips for future Macs that I expect Apple CEO Tim Cook to promise will show up by at least mid-2019 (WWDC would be nice; especially since macOS Bakersfield will be announced).

Durable Keyboard – OK, I get it. Thin is in. But it isn’t as if we don’t expect thin to come with durability. Even the new 4th generation MacBook Air keyboard has problems. How hard can it be to make a keyboard that just works, Apple?

Face ID & Touch ID – Color me jaded about paying for better technology, but it looks more and more as if Touch ID will be entry-level and Face ID will be premium. Maybe so, maybe not, but Face ID on the Mac is long overdue already. It’s not as if a Mac notebook needs a Notch, amirite?

More Ports – Long after Steve Jobs’ death Apple remains a company that puts form over function. How else do you explain a MacBook-whatever with a single USB-C port. Come on. This is easy. Add more ports. Add enough ports that a Mac can do all you want it to do. Make all ports USB-C and Thunderbolt. Make. Dongles. Cheap. Oh, and sell a dongle dock. Call it Dongle Dock™. I’m OK with giving Apple that name.

Quiet Cool – Hot Macs make noise. Apple uses Intel Inside and that means fans to help cool down a CPU that has gone from tolerable to blisterable (maybe that’s why Apple calls them Mac notebooks, and not Mac laptops; those suckers get hot enough you could scald your thighs).

iSelfieCam – Let’s face it. Apple can be cheap. The Mac notebook line may look and feel premium but check out the specifications for the built-in FaceTime camera. Anemic is being polite. Crummy is closer to accurate. Yes, most people can’t tell the difference between a 720p camera and a 1080p camera, but I can count. The one with bigger numbers is better, right?

User Friendly Parts – Alright, as I understand it, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs wanted the original Mac to be an appliance. Mac customers wanted to add memory and storage. Try doing that on any new Mac notebook. I get it that GPUs take up space and require a Frigidaire to keep cool, so eGPUs– external graphics units for those who need that kind of horsepower– are a thing. But how about giving me the option to change a battery, add more SSD storage, and upgrade the RAM– without an expensive trip to the Genius Bar.

8K OLED – Organic Light-emitting Diodes are a thing. LCDs are the past. So is 1080p. These days 4K HDR is moving into the mainstream TV market and the Mac is stuck with a 5K Retina display. What? Five years already? I lose count because Apple keeps some technology around for years after they died (Mac Pro, meet Mac mini). 8K displays are on the way, so let’s see one on a Mac notebook.

Goodbye, Al-U-Minium – Yes, Aluminum looks and feels like quality; and it translates into beautiful colors (Rose Gold is a fav), but let me share a clue with Apple management. Aluminum dents and scratches, too. That problem turns new into old far too quickly. Where is Liquid Metal? Where is a Mac notebook that cannot be scratched and dented? Is it a dream? Is a scratch free, dent free Mac made of Unobtainium?

True Wireless – OK, I get it. Wi-Fi is everywhere. Except where you need it the most. I get it. My iPhone can be used as a Wi-Fi Hot Spot. Yet, we have iPads with a cellular option. Why not the Mac, Tim?

No Intel Inside – I read that my iPhone is more powerful than most personal computers on the market today. I read that the new iPad Pro is more powerful than more than 90-percent of all Windows and Chromebook PC notebooks. So, why do I suffer with Intel Inside?

All of these tips would be worthy of an Apple run by Steve Jobs, right? Come on, Tim. I’ll stop complaining for a month after each tip is implemented on future Macs.

5G? Meh!

About Natalia Nowak

My husband, Nathan, and I have used Macs for nearly 25 years. We're teachers at a private school in Chicago, IL. I'm also the school's resident Mac system administrator, PC troubleshooter, and a diehard Mac diva and iPhone hacker. Read more of my articles here.

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Comments

I agree withe the more ports. I have 2012 retina MacBook Pro with all the ports I need built in. I want to buy a new MacBook Pro but looking for dongles, docks, etc that are affordable and reliable is daunting. Bring back magsafe and make Apple adapters that are affordable. To be able to connect a new Mac to a projector to give a talk I need 2 $60 adapters (one VGA, one HDMI) to cover the bases $120.